Tuesday, January 03, 2012

For Want Of A Tool ...

1. a disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome.

2. the belief that good ultimately predominates over evil in the world.

3. the belief that goodness pervades reality.

4. the doctrine that the existing world is the best of all possible worlds.

So, a resolution I mentioned in my last post, though I didn't explicitly call it a resolution instead lumping it in with posting more regularly, is to become more optimistic. While I think it's a worthy change, it's also hard to get my head and hands around how to do accomplish it.

For my resolution, definition 1. seems to be what I'm striving for. It's a state of mind. It's related to how your brain perceives and reacts to the world around you. So how do you alter how your brain perceives and reacts? How does one become more optimistic?

Many resolutions have tools a person can use to keep the resolution. To lose weight you watch your diet and increase your exercise regimen. To eat better you learn about nutrition and begin looking at food labels. What tools do you use to increase your optimism?

I have more questions than answers and I need some suggestions. If anyone out there has any ideas of tools for increasing my optimism, please pass them along in the comments. I'm sure I will find what I'm looking for.